Masaya Nakatsuka
2010
Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on the Evolution of Language, pages 184-191, 2010
Through a constructive study of grammaticalization as a potentially important process of language evolution, we have found two findings. One is that linguistic analogy, which applies linguistic rules extendedly, is a very critical for language acquisition and meaning change. The ...MORE ⇓
Through a constructive study of grammaticalization as a potentially important process of language evolution, we have found two findings. One is that linguistic analogy, which applies linguistic rules extendedly, is a very critical for language acquisition and meaning change. The other is that inferences based on the recognition of similarity and contingency among particular meanings can realize unidirectional meaning change, a remarkable characteristic of grammaticalization. We discuss the significance of these findings in the context of the origin and the evolution of language, especially the role of linguistic analogy in creativity. Based on the discussion, a hypothetical scenario of the origin and the evolution of language is proposed.